The Undead Woman
by Ngarc345
Summary: Mari thinks she's just a normal girl until her and her two friends are forced to run to Camp. Then, she finds herself in the center of a world she never even knew existed with people she barely knows. Will she cope or will her secrets get to her in the end?
1. Not-so-summer Camp

**Hello. This is an idea I've had for a while but I never quite knew where I was going with it until now. I hope you like it and I will tell you right now some of the OCs are kinda based off people I know. Here's the first chapter.**

**Chapter 1: Not-so-Summer Camp**

_Leia had been the one to point out the monster behind them. Why was it always the kids? At first, Mari thought she was hallucinating. Or maybe, she had fallen asleep in class again. She tended to do that considering she wasn't very fond of sleeping in general and had a tendency to keep herself up. But then Nathan saw it too and she was convinced. She picked Leia up and ran. They ran out of the school and into some woods that she was pretty sure weren't there a second ago. She saw Leia's parents. "Please, take her and run. We shouldn't have kept her from Camp for so long," her father told Mari.  
"What are you talking about?" she asked confused.  
"Just run. There's a camp in the woods. They'll keep you three safe. Just make sure that thing doesn't catch up with you and please, keep Leia safe," Leia's mother said. Then they ran. "Mommy! Daddy!" Leia yelled. You could see the fear in the little girl's green eyes. Mari and Nathan looked at each other and ran into the woods._

When Mari woke up there were so many people in orange shirts surrounding her. She groaned and sat up. They all stared at her. There were whispers of "Where did she come from?" and "How did she do that?" Mari glared at the kids around her, some of whom were younger than she was. Then she realized she was alone.  
"Where's Leia? And Nathan?" Mari demanded. They all looked at her confused.  
"We found another one!" someone yelled in the distance. Mari sprang up and ran despite the protests. She came to a clearing where Leia was surrounded by people.  
"Leia!" Mari yelled and ran to the little girl. Leia jumped into Mari's arms and hugged her.  
"Where are we?" Leia asked.  
"I don't know. Where _are _we?" Mari asked the nearest person. But before the girl could get her answer there was the announcement of a third person. Mari ran again despite her fatigue and found Nathan with a group of people. Nathan ran and hugged the girls.  
"Oh you guys are ok. Oh thank goodness," he said. A man with the lower body of a horse and the upper body of a man came up to them.  
"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood," he said.

The three of them were walking together towards what they had called "The Big House." Mari had not let go of Leia and Nathan made sure to stay close to them. The three of them weren't blood related but Nathan and Mari had known each other for ten years. Leia was only six to their fourteen but she had grown on them ever since Mari had begun to babysit her. The three of them were their own little family. There was a huge group of campers behind them making Mari feel a bit on edge. She had trust issues. Major ones. _Don't have a panic attack. Not now, _she told herself.  
"Come in," the man- Chiron- said to the three. There were all sorts of swords and pictures all over the room. Mari found herself trying to memorize every detail like she always did.  
"Now, who are your parents," Chiron asked.  
"Um, Kyle and Heidi Lucier are mine. Sharon and Greg Grant are Leia's. Hank and Milena Donelly are Nathan's," Mari said. Chiron looked at them.  
"You mean you haven't been claimed? I mean, the little one I understand as she's not yet twelve but you two," he said. Mari looked at him trying to decipher what he meant. He went outside for a brief moment. When he came back there was a boy about sixteen or seventeen with him.  
"I figured you might want someone who kind of knows what you're going through to explain it to you. I'll give you guys a few minutes," Chiron said and walked into the other room. Mari looked at the boy. He was wearing an orange camp shirt like the rest of them and swim shorts as if he were going surfing after or something. His eyes were green but not like Leia's. His eyes were like a sea green and his hair was messy.  
"My name is Percy Jackson. I came to Camp when I was twelve and in a very similar situation to yours. A monster chased me and my mom here and what happened to my mom is a whole different story. But anyways, I came here and they told me something I didn't believe right away," he said.  
"What did they say?" Nathan asked. Percy shifted on his feet as if trying to find the best way to say it.  
"Have you learned about the Greek gods and goddesses yet?" he asked.  
"Mari and I have. Leia's in first grade so no she hasn't," Nathan answered.  
"I know about them. My mommy and daddy told me about them," Leia answered.  
"Good I can skip that. Well, the gods and goddesses are real. And sometimes, they come to Earth and . . . hang out with mortals and have children called demigods. You three are just that although you guys are a special case considering you aren't ADHD or dyslexic like most of us. Also, since a couple years ago, the gods swore to claim their children before they turned twelve. You haven't been claimed yet but hopefully you will be tonight at Campfire," Percy said. There was silence. Mari put pieces together in her mind. She wasn't ADHD or dyslexic but she was something else.  
"My whole life has been a lie," she whispered. People were cheering outside.  
"I do have a question. Mari, right? How did you do the trick outside before you passed out?" Percy asked.  
"What are you talking about?" Mari asked confused.  
"Never mind. It's time for the bonfire. Come on, you guys can sit with me," he said. Nathan picked up Leia and left with Percy. Mari followed behind like a zombie.

Mari didn't really pay attention to the stories and singing at the bonfire. After a while, Chiron quieted them down. He recapped the day's events and called up Leia. She looked at her friends who smiled at her. Slowly, she got up and walked towards Chiron. Along the way, a yellow sun appeared above her head. Chiron knelt down next to her.  
"Sweetheart, do you like archery?" he asked.  
"I've never done it," she said giggling.  
"How about singing?" he asked. She nodded. "Well, that's good because your father is Apollo," Chiron told her. The head of the Apollo cabin moved so she could sit with them.  
"I'll go first," Nathan told Mari and stood up. The symbol of Nike appeared above his head. Mari smiled. That explained a lot. He went and sat with his cabin. Everyone looked at Mari. Percy smiled at her. She wiped her palms on her dirty jeans and stood up. She walked to where everyone could see her. She waited for gasps but nothing happened. People began whispering. Mari felt someone watching and whirled to the forests behind her.  
"Who's there," she demanded. The whispering increased. Suddenly, Mari realized the whispering wasn't coming from behind her where the campers were. It was coming from in front. All the figures emerged and everyone gasped. "Who are you?" Mari asked.  
"Mari," Chiron chided.  
"Don't chide her, Chiron," one of the women said. One of them came and put their arms around Mari. "So how you been, sweetie," the boy said. Mari backed away.  
"Oh, wait, she doesn't recognize us," one of them said. Then, before her eyes, they all morphed into familiar faces. The campers gasped in amazement.  
"Ms. Lauren? Mr. Baker? Mr. Drew?" she asked. They nodded.  
"When I'm not Ms. Lauren, an archery teacher, I am Artemis, goddess of the hunt," she said.  
"And when I'm not your neighbor Mr. Baker, I'm her awesome twin Apollo. Oh hi Leia," he said with a wave. Leia waved back.  
"Blah blah. Mr. Drew is my alias. I'm actually Ares so PE teacher is pretty suiting," Mr. Drew said dusting off his jacket.  
All the rest revealed themselves to her. Her old babysitter was Hera. Her mailman was Hermes. Her old flag football coach was Nike (which explained the undefeated season). The man who always jogged by was Zeus, the lifeguard at her swimming lessons Poseidon. Mari's favorite librarian was Athena and her lunch lady was Demeter. The drama teacher at school turned out to be Aphrodite and her woodshop teacher was Hephaestus. Hestia was the house inspector, Tyche was the nice lady at the ice cream store and Hypnos was her other neighbor.  
"Wait, so who's my parent," Mari asked. They looked at each other.  
"Trust me. We all wish could claim you but we can't. Since we couldn't, though, we all gave you gifts," Aphrodite said. Mari gave a confused look.  
"Why, I gave you your intelligence. Ares gave you your sports skill, Hermes gave speed, and Apollo, your singing," Athena said.  
"I gave you your talents with children, Demeter gave you your botany gifts, Nike, your many victories. Hestia, your sense of warmth to others, Tyche helped with the bets, Hypnos tried his best to help you sleep," Hera told her.  
"Zeus helped with making sure you didn't fall out of the sky while flying, Hephaestus helped with your handiness, Poseidon with swiming, and I, I gave you your beauty," Aphrodite said. Mari was confused by the last. She was just a pale girl with dark hair and eyes.  
"I don't mean to offend you but I'm not beautiful. I'm not ugly but I'm certainly not beautiful I mean, I'm just Mari," Mari told the goddess. Suddenly, Mari was in a beautiful black dress and her hair was pulled back in a waterfall braid. The dress reminded Mari of Southern Belles. Everyone gasped. Nathan looked at his friend in amazement. She looked amazing with the red lipstick and dark eye shadow that other girls could never pull off. The Aphrodite children had to keep themselves from hurting her out of jealousy.  
"Look at how they long to be you. I wish I could say you were mine but I cannot claim you," Aphrodite said.  
"Why not?" Mari asked.  
"Because I have to," a voice said in the shadows. A man emerged from the shadows. His clothes seemed to have faces spring out of them. Mari gave the man a confused look. "Oh poor thing doesn't recognize me. Here's a tip," the man said. With that, he morphed into a shadow-like figure. Mari gasped and fell to the floor. As he got closer she crawled back.  
"Hades enough!" Zeus said. He didn't cease and Mari still was hyperventilating. A man came out of the Big House.  
"Heard there was a reunion," he said. When he saw Mari on the floor he ran to her. "Hades, haven't you put the child through enough?" Mr. D asked. Hades continued. "Enough!" Mr. D yelled. Hades morphed back. "You've no need to do this," he yelled as Hades disappeared. The gods nodded and he bent down next to her. "Sweetheart. Look at me. You're okay. Shh. It's ok," he said an touched her forehead to his. He gasped. "You're-" he began but Mari interrupted him.  
"Please don't tell anyone," she asked. He began to protest but the look on her face was too much. He nodded. "Campers to your cabins. You too Mari. If you ever have. . . things going on come to me," he said. The gods went and hugged her and left. She stood dazed until someone nudged her. She jumped and turned to see a boy around her age next to her. He looked like her. They had the same dark hair and eyes. He was a bit taller and she had bags under her eyes but other than that they could've been twins.  
"I'm Nico. I'm your half-brother, I guess. I'll show you to Cabin 13," he said. She nodded and followed him. He didn't say anything about her breakdown or tell her about him. She liked it better that way. They simply walked into silence to the cabin. When Mari got there, she changed out of the dress and into comfy clothes. She tried to get the make-up off but it wouldn't budge. She finally gave up and crawled into bed so Nico would think she was asleep. That would soon end. She had other plans.

**And there's the first chapter. Don't worry, I'm going somewhere with the whole every-god-but-her-father-loves-her thing. You'll see. Be sure to review and leave suggestions and demigod OCs if you want to because I will be using a few. Until the next.**

**~Nat x**


	2. The Nine

**Hello. There were a few things that were unclear in the last chapter that I swear will be cleared up in the next few chapters. I hope you like it. So how many people live in California? I do. Anyone else freaked by five moderate earthquakes in two weeks?! And that's not even counting all the minor aftershocks! I feel like something big is gonna happen. I mean four moderate earthquakes in two days has got to be a sign. And anyone else notice the fact that the animals aren't responding appropriately anymore? Gah, sometimes I hate California. To those who are outside of California I hope you enjoy sleeping without disturbance. Here's Chapter two.**

**Chapter 2: The Nine**

After Nico seemed to be asleep, Mari decided she didn't want to sleep. She grabbed a sweater and walked to the Big House. Just as she was about to knock, she heard the noise of a Pac-man machine. She slowly walked in, bare-footed. Mr. D motioned for her to stand next to him.  
"Pac-man, one of the best games ever invented don't you think?" he said not ceasing to play. Mari shrugged.  
"I personally prefer Galaga. It should be on that machine," Mari said as he lost. Mr. D shot her a look. She moved the joystick in the menu until she was at Galaga and held her hand out for a coin. Mr. D put one in and Mari began to play. Within five minutes she was on Stage Six.  
"How did you manage that?" Mr. D asked.  
"Easy. I started memorizing game patterns. I play it that much," Mari said.  
"And yet I've been playing PAC-man since it came out and I still haven't memorized the game patterns," Mr. D said.  
"That's understandable. Unlike Galaga, PAC-man relies on what the user does. Galaga has a set pattern," Mari told her. They talked of different things until Mari finally lost. She had beat the high cores of all the Athena kids.  
"So sit down," Mr. D said. Mari sat on the couch next to him.  
"I saw in your mind. You know along with wine I'm the god of madness. What is it?" He asked. Mari sighed.  
"Night terrors. Ever since I can remember but probably before that too. I try to keep myself up most nights," she admitted. Mr. D took something out of his pocket. It was one of the coins he had put in the machine but this one had a small hole in it to which he attached a string. Mari smiled and took it.  
"Now whenever you come you can play. But PAC-man is off limits," he said. She laughed. There was movement outside. They walked onto the deck to see two figures near the lake. "Peter Johnson! Annie bell! Get back to your cabins!" Mr. D yelled. "It's Percy Jackson and Annabeth!" Percy yelled back. The couple came to where the god and Mari were.  
"Is he torturing you with rules and Pinochle," the girl, Annabeth, asked Mari.  
"Are you kidding?! He has an authentic Nacmo machine with Galaga! Oh by the way whoever 'Wise Girl' is, I beat her score," Mari said. Annabeth's jaw dropped.  
"But I got to Stage Six," Annabeth said.  
"Hate to break it to you but she got Stage Six in five minutes," Mr. D said. Percy took Annabeth back to her cabin before she could kill Mari.  
"Get a little bit of sleep now," Mr. D told Mari. She seemed hesitant. Mr. D placed his hand on Mari's forehead and made a motion and told Mari to repeat it. "That should keep away the dreams tonight. I'll see you tomorrow," he told her. She waved and went back to cabin 13.

When Mari and Nico walked into breakfast everyone was whispering and pointing at Mari. Mari wanted to yell at them but she restrained. Percy came from the next table over. "Mari. Nico. You know you're the most talked about thing since me," Percy said.  
"Is that a good thing or bad?" Mari asked though she didn't really care. She was used to being the one everyone had something bad to say about.  
"A little of both. Can I talk to you later on? Alone," he said. I nodded. He went back to his table and Mari continued eating. Nathan walked by and nudged Mari. Mari wiped her mouth on a napkin and said, "I'm done," before walking out.

Mari found Nathan in dense forest. "Hey lose," Mari said. Nathan smiled. "Can't call me that anymore. I'm literally the son of Victory," he said crossing his arms. "Yeah and all but one god love me so I win loser," Mari said smiling. Nathan held his hands up in surrender and hugged Mari.  
"What is this place? I feel like Alice," Mari told her friend. He smiled. He knew her obsession with Alice in Wonderland.  
"Yeah. I was going to tell you something before that monster attacked us. Well, before we picked up Leia to be honest," Nathan said. Mari looked at him and motioned for him to continue. He began but something interrupted him. There were people exclaiming about the gods. The two looked at each other and ran.

The scene before them was unreal. Everyone had gathered around a girl with a green mist around her. As she turned, Mari gasped as she saw that her eyes were filled with the green mist as well. Then, she began to speak.  
_"The Undead Woman will not stay still  
In future horrors, she takes her fill,  
__All of the chosen, plus two, the nine  
But only one can pay the fine  
The Ghost and Death will go along  
The ones who will complete the bond  
How mad can only one person feel  
Before stopping Chaos and Deceit from taking the wheel  
Travel to the Peaceful Sea  
An entrancing song will guide thee."  
_Then the girl collapsed into the waiting arms of people. Percy, the girl he was with the night before, and some other friends began to discuss. Chiron silenced everyone.  
"The oracle has spoken. The Seven will go with two more on another quest. The other two will be the two children of Hades," he said. Mari sucked in her breath. All eyes were on her. For the second time in two days, she ran into unknown forest. She ran despite the protests of her friend. When she felt she was far out enough she sank to her knees. She wanted to scream or cry but she wouldn't. She wouldn't. She had been taught that crying was weakness and letting people see you cry was even worse. She stayed till it was dark. Then, slowly, she rose and went to her cabin. Somehow, some of her old stuff had appeared earlier that day. She grabbed a few things and went back into the forest. She built a pit. After thinking for a moment, she went to one of the boys she knew she was going on the quest with. He, of course, was still in the Hephaestus forge, looking at schematics.  
"Hey," she said making him jump.  
"Hades kids. Why do you all love to give people heart attacks?" Leo said running his hands through his hair.  
"You can make fire," Mari said. It wasn't a question. He held up his hand. It burst into flames. Mari stared. "Can you start a fire for me? In the forest?"  
He got up and followed her. In the forest, she had set everything up. All she needed was the fire. He bent down and lit the pile of wood. She simply walked to her pile and picked up the first journal. She threw it in the fire. The boy said nothing. He could hear her mutter something under her breath as she threw the journals in the fire.  
"De las cenizas nos encontramos y para cenizas volvemos," she said. Leo smiled.  
"From ashes we came and to ashes we return," he repeated in English. Mari stared into the fire unblinking. "How old were you?" he asked.  
"Four. Just old enough to remember her. It was a cruel joke. Just as everything started, I lost her," Mari said.  
"What do you mean?" Leo asked.  
"That's another story for another day. What about you?" Mari asked.  
"I was eight. I accidently set fire to the building we were in. I still miss her. I don't even remember how many homes I was in before I finally ran away," he said. Mari felt bad. She had only been in one home.  
"My foster mother wasn't really there. I practically raised myself. I-I only had this," she said pulling out the necklace she was wearing. It wasn't a special necklace, nothing fancy. But Leo could tell it meant the world to her. He nudged her.  
"Wanna see the ship?" Leo asked. Mari smiled. They were both alike in some ways. Not only with the foster home situation but she could tell he blamed himself for a lot of things too. And the way he kept himself up to distract himself.  
"Sure," she said.

They walked in silence. When they reached the ship they stopped.  
"Of course, she still needs repairs. They should be done by tomorrow though," Leo said. She looked at the ship.  
"There's no Crow's Nest," she pointed out. Leo gave her a confused look.  
"Why would we need crows?" he asked. Mari laughed.  
"A Crow's Nest. A lookout point. On the main mast," she said. Leo smiled.  
"Oh, that kind. Yeah, the original Argo never had one so I didn't really think about it. I'll put one in," he said. Mari nodded.

The two of them began repairs. Leo showed Mari how to clean Festus while he made repaired. They worked until the sun began to rise. Then, they grabbed some sodas and sat on the edge of the ship drinking them. A few people gave them looks. They talked of their thoughts of the quest.  
"I just got off a quest and now I'm going back on. I suppose there isn't time to relax in this life," he said taking a swig from his bottle.  
"Well, I just discovered this world. Now, I'm supposed to save it," Mari told him.  
"We should start a club," Leo said. Mari nodded and drank some of her soda. She thought for a moment and tipped her bottle towards Leo.  
"To the outcasts," she said. He touched his bottle to hers and they both drank. "I've never been in a club before. I never really had a friend to be in one with. I mean I have Nathan but he's got all these other friends that are more popular than me. _He's _more popular than me. And Leia obviously is too little for me to always hang out with her," she told him.  
"I've always been an outcast. So, welcome to the club," he said.  
"We need like some kind of initiation ritual or something," Mari said looking around.  
"You make it sound like a gang or a cult or something," Leo said smiling. Mari saw something glimmer in the corner of her eye. She picked it up and it was the bottle cap. She grabbed Leo's hand and pressed it against the skin. "What are you doing?" Leo asked. When she pulled away there was the imprint on his skin. He took a sharpie and traced the imprint. He took the cap from Mari and did the same to her. She laughed and traced it with sharpie. They looked at each other and laughed.

They both left a few minutes later to pack. Mari took mainly clothes. She grabbed a few things like her necklace and stuffed them in another bag. She could easily carry the two bags if she needed two and didn't plan on fully unpacking anyway. She looked at the calendar. October 26th. She packed a few extra things and left the room without looking back. She put her bags in her room on the Argo II though she doubted she'd be in there often. She came back out to talk to Mr. D before she left when someone hugged her.  
"Leia, let go. I have to talk to someone," Mari said kindly.  
"You can't go! I don't want you to!" Leia said not budging. Mari turned and knelt toward the little girl.  
"I know. But I have to. I don't want to go either." Not a total lie.  
"Please, you have to call me and Nathan everyday. Please," Leia said.  
"As much as I can," Mari said. Leia gave her one last hug and ran to her cabin. As Mari stood up she bumped into a familiar face.  
"Hey loser," she said jokingly. Nathan looked like he was trying not to cry. He enveloped his friend in a hug.  
"I'll be ok," Mari said.  
"I know. Please, call us as much as you can," Nathan said. Mari nodded. He gave her a kiss on the top of her head and walked away without a goodbye. Mari's heart sank. She shook it off and went to the Big House. Mr. D was waiting for her. He gave her a box.  
"Don't open it till you are far from Camp," he instructed her.  
"I'm scared. I don't want to fall asleep but I know I'll have to," Mari said.  
"Just trust that you can ward them off. Remember the motion I showed you and you should be fine. Just make it every night before you go to sleep," Mr. D told her. She nodded. They went outside so she could head out with the rest. She waved to Mr. D as she ran onto the ship.

**There's chapter 2! Be sure to review and tell me what you think. Until the next!**

**~Nat x**


	3. Cupcakes, and Knives, and Sirens, Oh My!

**Hello. So I'm probably gonna update every other week just to make things easier on me.  
Disclaimer: I own none of the series unfortunately.**

**Chapter 3: Cupcakes, and Knives, and Sirens, Oh My!**

When they were far from camp the nine gathered in the dining area at the request of Annabeth. When Mari walked in they all stared at her. "Um hi," she said with a wave. Leo motioned for her to sit next to him. She grabbed the nearest pen and began to draw on her hand.  
"So the prophecy. Anyone have any idea about it?" Annabeth asked.  
"Pacific means peaceful so I think we should go that way," Mari said not looking up from the tattoo she'd given herself. She grabbed a piece of paper and began drawing on that too. When she moved her hand the other demigods at the table saw she had drawn three x's on it. Not even fancy ones, just three plain x's. They all stared at her. She looked up and returned to drawing on the paper.  
"Ok. Leo head course for the west coast," Annabeth said.  
"Wait repeat that," Mari said finally looking up.  
"Head course for the west coast?" Annabeth asked.  
"Aren't we already there?" Mari asked panicking inwardly.  
"Mari camp is in New York. Where do you think you were?" Percy asked.  
"When we started running from that thing we were in California. How did we get to New York in five minutes?!" She demanded obviously freaked.  
"You probably unknowingly shadow traveled but that's not what made you so peculiar. That trick out there with the monster how did you do it?" The blonde boy, Jason, asked.  
"What is shadow traveling? And what freaking trick?" Mari asked.  
"Hades child thing," Nico said to tired to elaborate.  
"Do you really not remember it?" Piper asked.  
"No I don't!" Mari exclaimed frustrated.  
"Leo do you think you could play it back on the screen?" Annabeth asked calmly. Leo pulled out a wii controller and hit a few buttons. Suddenly, Mari saw herself on screen with Nathan and Leia. She faced the monster and dropped Leia. The monster approached her and she screamed causing something like a force field to surround her. As if that wasn't weird enough, the monster flew back as if pushed and Nathan and Leia disappeared as Mari passed out. Mari stared open mouthed at what she had just seen.  
"I-I did that?" She asked when she could finally talk. They nodded.  
"Another thing why do all the gods love you when we can barely get them to speak to us. Especially Hera. Hera hates us," Frank said.  
"I'm just as confused as you are. No one likes me," Mari said.  
"I don't know. It's kind of suspicious," Jason said.  
"Oh yes. I'm in league with them and I'm here to kill you. You've foiled my evil plan," Mari said sarcastically.  
"So it's true," Hazel said. Mari face palmed.  
"Leave her alone guys," Nico said.  
"No. I wanna know how she managed to earn the respect of all but one god and do the weird Carrie stuff," Jason said.  
"What are you hiding," Piper demanded.  
"Nothing!" Mari exclaimed throwing her hands in the air.  
"Liar," Jason muttered.  
"You know what. I thought I was through with this shit," Mari said, her voice cracking. Then, she stormed off with the paper she was drawing on wiping her eyes. She quickly climbed up the main mast and into the Crow's Nest. She balled the bottom of her shirt in lot her mouth and screamed. When she finished, she lay down on the wood and tried to steady her breathing. It was already dark and she stared up into the skies, tracing her favorite constellations. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them, Aphrodite was next to her.  
"I don't really want to have a girls' talk," Mari said turning her back to the goddess. Aphrodite began to play with Mari's hair the way Mari's mother used to. Mari froze at the contact but didn't pull away.  
"I know. It's tough but they'll warm up to you. It's just that the gods tend to keep their distance and they're confused as to why we're close to you," Aphrodite said.  
"Why are you close to me? I'm just another demigod," Mari said.  
"You'll see. You know that Doctor Who quote you like '900 years of space and time and I've never met someone who wasn't important', it's the same thing in the world of demigods," Aphrodite said. Mari sat up.  
"Did you just have a nerd moment?" Mari asked.  
"Yes. I think I did," Aphrodite said. Both of them giggled.  
"Just trust me: it all gets better," Aphrodite said. Mari nodded and waved goodbye. She went down as the goddess left.

"Was that my mother?" Piper asked. Mari nodded. "What did she say to you?" Piper demanded.  
"Nothing. Nothing important anyway," Mari said and walked back to her room without even looking at Piper. Piper felt a bit guilty. She knew what it was like to not be liked without even a chance. Piper walked away. Mari went into her room and leaned against the door as she closed it. She saw that the room was fully unpacked. She immediately got up and walked out. Not knowing the full schematic of the ship, she walked the hallways aimlessly. Finally, she heard someone coming and walked into a random door.  
"I'm telling you something's off about her. She's had some kind of secret I know it," a deep voice said.  
"Percy, let it go. It's not like you've been totally truthful about everything to her. She just found out about this world and now she has to save it. You of all people should know how it feels to be in her position," Annabeth told him. Mari could hear their steps pause. She turned around fearing she had been caught. What she saw amazed her. The room wasn't some closet like she thought or someone else's room. It was a training area. There were knives and swords. She picked up a knife. The door opened and Mari threw it, jumping out of her skin. She looked at where it landed. Right above Percy's head.  
"Sorry! You scared me," Mari said. Percy pulled the knife out of the door and threw in at the target. It feel short and Annabeth giggled. Mari grabbed another knife and stood where Percy had been. She took a deep breath and threw it. It hit the target. She smiled and grabbed as many as she could. She threw them sideways, eyes closed, and even climbed up the rafters and threw one upside down. Percy and Annabeth were amazed.  
"Where did you learn to do that?" Annabeth asked. Not a lot of kids she knew at Camp could throw that well.  
"I didn't! I just trusted my instincts and that happened," Mari said smiling. Annabeth looked at Percy. He was fiddling with a pen.  
"Percy! No! Don't you-" but Annabeth was cut off by Percy's pen transforming into a sword. He swung at Mari but she twisted and landed a punch to his stomach. In the second he was disoriented, she kicked him. He fell to the floor and she held his hands and sword in one hand. With the other, she pressed against a point on the base of his neck. He began gagging and Annabeth knew he was having trouble breathing. Mari gasped as if realizing what she had done and stumbled backwards till she hit the wall.  
"What's wrong with me?!" Mari said holding her head. Annabeth went to her. "Don't touch me please! I didn't mean to! Please don't hurt me!" Mari said shirking back against the wall. Annabeth froze. She put pieces together in her head.  
"Who beat you?" she asked sitting next to the younger girl.  
"She beat me! What do you mean who beat her?" Percy exclaimed trying to get his breathing back to normal as he sat on the other side of Mari. Annabeth hushed him.  
"Who didn't? It was a cool kid initiation. It was a 'you have to prove your worthy' thing. And they always made sure to hit me where the teacher's wouldn't see and where the bruises wouldn't show," Mari said. She didn't know why she said it. Not even Nathan knew about it.  
"Kids can be mean," Annabeth said. Mari raised an eyebrow.  
"Kids? Annabeth, I don't think you understand. It's been going on for ten years now," Mari said. Annabeth and Percy both looked at her wide-eyed.  
Percy put his arm around Mari and she flinched nearly jumping into the air. "Just stick with me ain't nobody gonnna hurt my cousin." Mari looked at him.  
"Just twenty minutes ago pretty much the entire crew thought I was there to kill them," Mari pointed out.  
Percy shrugged. "We've had a very. . . tough year. War, enemies, literally falling into hell," Percy said.  
"I see hell every night," Mari whispered. Percy looked at her. She shrugged. "I don't fell like giving all my secrets away on one night. It's another story for another day. Bet you don't wanna talk about actually going to hell," she said.  
"Fair enough. But, I'm always here," Percy said hugging her awkwardly considering they were still sitting. Mari wrapped her arms around Percy hesitantly. Up until yesterday she really didn't have a family besides Nathan and Leia. It was a new feeling to have people there.  
"We'll swap stories someday," Mari promised. Annabeth got up.  
"I have some researching to do if we're going to get anywhere on this quest. You two can train," Annabeth said. Both them groaned. Annabeth smiled. "Hard to believe you two are related," she said. The two cousins stuck their tongue out at her as she left. They looked at each other.  
"There's blue cupcakes in the kitchen," Percy said. Mari smiled. They both got up and ran faster than you would think to the kitchen area. They grabbed their cupcakes and scarfed them down in seconds.  
"Man, I haven't had cupcakes in forever," Mari said, her mouth full. Percy mumbled in agreement. They heard footsteps approaching. The two looked at each other, grabbed as many cupcakes as they could (which was all of them) and ran to the stables.  
"So what's it like living in California?" Percy asked. Mari shrugged.  
"Not at all like the movies. The weather always changes so one day you're wearing a sweater and the next it's shorts and a tank top and everyone is heading to the beach. There's a lot of smog and as much as people think, there are not stars on every block. But it has it's perks. The water's always there and there's always places to surf. Some parts of it are so beautiful like the Redwoods. There's so much to do. I mean I've lived there practically my whole life and I still have a list of things to try. Yeah it can be annoying and boring but it can also be exciting and adventurous if you know what I mean. What about New York," Mari said. She listened as Percy rattled off a huge list of pros and cons. A lot of it was similar to California, Mari noted. The two sat in the stables for what seemed like hours talking of home. It was then that they realized how much they missed it. It was late afternoon when they stopped talking. Mari felt a wave of exhaustion but shook it off.  
"Guys, we need you in the dining room," Annabeth said poking her head in. The two got up and walked into the room. They had all already gathered and were gathered around an Iris-message.  
"Chiron," Percy said smiling. Mari stayed to the back of the group.  
"Hello, Percy. Listen, we've got a hunch about the prophecy. 'An entrancing song will guide you'," Chiron said. Mari put the pieces in her brain.  
"Sirens," she said. Everyone stared at her. "They were Sirens weren't they. When I was six," Mari asked Chiron.  
"I'm not sure what you're talking about Mari," Chiron said. Mari was pacing and muttering under her breath.  
"Mari, it's ok. We've past the Sirens before, we'll be ok," Percy said. She nodded but didn't seem too convinced.  
"So we just follow the Siren's song right?" Mari said composing herself. Chiron nodded. Mari sighed and sat on the table.  
"Keep in touch. I fear there is something off," Chiron said. They ended the call and all went separate ways. Mari stayed back and lay on the table with her face in her hands.  
"What was with the little Siren freak out?" Percy asked when everyone had left. Mari sat up.  
"I've heard their song before," she told him.

**And there's the chapter. I am accepting OCs for this story so PM them to me. Until the next.**

**~Nat x**


	4. Nico's Little Sister

**Hello. I know this is late. Sorry.**

**Chapter 4: Nico's Little Sister**

Percy looked at Mari to see if she was joking. "What do you mean you've heard the Siren's song? Everyone who's heard the song killed themselves. Well, everyone who didn't have someone to stop them," Percy said sitting next to her. Mari sighed.  
"I'm giving away all my secrets, I guess. When I was six, my foster mother took me to a beach with her friend and her friend's daughter. Not like she actually cared about me having friends, she just didn't want to look like she was neglecting me. Anyways, we were there and her friend's daughter, Janet, started telling me about mermaids. She told me how they could sing and swim and get humans to do what they wanted. Then she told me they were real. I didn't believe her. Then, everyone started talking and screaming and pointing towards some rocks. And there it was, a real mermaid, right in front of me. Then, it started singing. Everyone moved towards it. Janet started walking into the water. I kept screaming at her not to and reminding her of the story but she followed everyone else. There were five survivors that day. Me, my foster mother, Janet's mother, and a couple who had just got engaged. They put it down to an undercurrent that drowned everyone. I guess now I know better," Mari said. Percy didn't say anything. "My question now is, why didn't the song affect me?" Mari lay back down on the table whispering under her breath. "I don't know. But if you want, I'll help you find out why," Percy said. Nico walked in as Mari sat up.  
"Sorry to interrupt but I wanted to talk to my sister," Nico said. Mari smiled.  
"Sister. That's a new word," Mari said.  
"Well, I was talking to my cousin. Can it wait?" Percy asked.  
"There's another new one," Mari muttered.  
"Sorry but it's kinda urgent," Nico said. Percy shrugged and threw Mari over his shoulder and began to spin her. She screamed and hit him.  
"Let me go! Nico! Help!" Mari yelled laughing. She said some very not nice words but they were in Spanish so Percy didn't understand. Nico however, knew Italian enough to understand most of what she was saying.  
"Potty mouth. I should stick a bar of soap in your mouth," Nico told her. She stuck her tongue out at him. Nico laughed and Percy realized it was the first time he'd seen the boy laugh.  
"Alright, buzzkill," Percy said letting Mari's legs go. She flipped so she wouldn't hit her head on the floor. She stood up and everything seemed to be spinning.

Nico helped her to her room. Mari sat on the bed. "So what's up," she asked her brother. He sat down next to her.  
"Mr. D called me," he told her. Mari's smile vanished.  
"What did he tell you?" she asked though she knew what the answer was.  
"About you," Nico said. Mari stood up.  
"You can't tell anyone," Mari exclaimed.  
"Why not?" Nico asked patiently.  
"You've seen! They already don't like me! All they need is to find out that I'm a mad girl and it all goes downhill. Please don't tell anyone," Mari begged. Nico stood unsure of whether to hug her or place a hand on her shoulder. He held open his arms as he was going to explain something and she ran into them. "Please, Nico," Mari asked. He wrapped his arms around the small girl.  
"It's ok. I won't tell anyone," he told her.

Dinner than night was quiet. Mari didn't eat much. Everyone was talking around her but she only got bits and pieces of it. Then, someone was snapping in her face. She looked up, alarmed. Leo was standing in front of her. "How do you do that?" he asked her.  
"Do what?" Mari replied as she started to clean up her place.  
"Just tune the world out. We called you several times but you didn't notice so we gave up," Leo said gesturing to the empty dining room. Mari raised her eyebrows. Then, she shrugged. Leo took her plate and walked out. "You should get some sleep," he called out.

Mari's heart began to pound at the thought of sleep. She slowly walked through the halls and gasped. As she turned the corner, Nico stood in front of her with a box in his hands. "I figured you'd want to pull an all-nighter," he said pressing the box into her hands. Then, he disappeared somewhere. Mari looked out the halls but couldn't find him. Then, she looked at the small box. Sugar cubes. She smiled. Once safely in her room, she opened the box and pulled out her candy stash. She felt an evil grin creep onto her face. "This will be fun," she muttered.

Nico quickly shadowjumped into his room after giving Mari the sugar cubes. He sighed and sat on the bed as a wave of dizziness went through him. He didn't know why Mari was bringing out the side in him Bianca used to: the kind, caring, over-protective brother side. If he had to guess, it was probably because he was worried something would happen to her. The same thing had happened to Bianca, not even a day after discovering the truth she was on a quest and a dangerous one too. Or maybe it was because she seemed so brave on the inside but he could tell she was scared. He supposed that's why he brought her the cubes. To help her be more brave than she felt she was. Then, he shook his head. He had never thought so much about anything. Suddenly, he heard springs squeak and heard a pounding like someone jumping. He realized it was Mari and smiled. "Well, well, well. Who's still a child," he said leaning back on the bed and turning off the lights. As he was falling asleep there was a rapping at his door. He sat up and yelled, "Who is it?" Percy stuck his head in and Nico was thankful for the darkness or else Percy would've seen his blush.  
"Um, I think your sister is jumping on the bed," Percy said.  
"Yeah, and?" Nico asked now annoyed.  
"Can you get her to stop? It's kind of annoying," Percy said. Nico lay back down.  
"Not my problem. Goodnight, Percy," Nico said with an amused smile. Percy groaned and left the room.

In the morning everyone was chatting, still groggy. Then, they heard footsteps running and Mari came in with chocolate on her face. "Did I miss breakfast?!" she practically yelled as she wiped the chocolate off. Everyone stared at her. Her body was visibly shaking with energy.  
"How many did you eat?!" Nico demanded slightly amused.  
"Two or three," Mari said happily.  
"Two or three what?" Percy asked.  
"I don't believe you," Nico said.  
"Fine, I'll show you," Mari said. Then, she disappeared and appeared with the box in her hands. "See for yourself," she said handing him the box. Nico looked at the box and sure enough only two were missing. Mari laughed and shadowjumped again this time returning with French Toast and syrup. She sat down and quickly began to eat her slices. Everyone was staring at her. "Is there stuff on my face again? Am I in a dress? What? Why is everyone staring?" she asked.  
"Why are you so hyper? And how do you shadowjump without getting dizzy?" Nico asked.  
"I ate candy. And I don't know I just do it," Mari said. With that, her face showed realization and she shadowjumped out of the room again. Everyone looked at each other.  
"Your sister," Percy said.  
"Your cousin," Nico retorted crossing his arms and silently cursing himself for giving her more sugar. She came back in with a sketchbook and colored pencils. Everyone noticed she calmed down as she drew. Without moving her head, Mari saw everyone staring at her and shadowjumped again. Nico sighed. "She is a strange little girl," he said. He couldn't help but think she'd be proud to hear that he thought that.

Leo knew exactly where he'd find Mari. He climbed the rungs to the Crow's Nest as quietly as he could so not to let her know he was coming up. She stuck her head through the opening. "You're loud," she said and went back to what she was doing. Leo climbed in and sat next to her. "Where do you think we'll be on November first?" Mari asked him. He was about to ask why when a picture caught his eye. He looked at Mari and she handed it to him.  
"Your mother was beautiful," he said. Mari nodded.  
She always told me 'Mariana, if I die, you have to promise only to visit me on the right day. Not on my birthday or death day, but on the Day of the Dead'," Mari told him. Leo handed her the picture.  
"Día de los Muertos," Leo said. Mari nodded and she him her sketch. Leo smiled. "Wanna help me with mine?" he teased. She smiled and shrugged.  
"Why not," she said. They sat in silence for a moment.  
"Where is she buried," Leo asked. Mari sighed.  
"Arizona. Where we used to live," she told him. Leo placed his hand on her shoulder.  
"We should get there on time if not early," he said. Mari smiled and let out a small laugh.  
"Sorry. I guess dressing up is just how I feel close to her. She used to dress me up and we would have sugar skulls and go to the square and cemetery." She looked down. "That was before. . . everything started." Leo understood where she was coming from. If he could go back to the days when he and his mom would relax and have good times, well he didn't want to think about what he'd pay to have it back.  
"We'll stop soon. I think maybe in Texas," Leo said. She nodded and Leo nudged her with his shoulder. "You can get a dress," he teased in a singsong voice. Mari groaned.  
"If I have to wear a dress then you have to wear a suit. Club rules," she said holding up her hand which had a fading mark from a few days earlier. It was Leo's turn to groan and they both laughed. "I'll draw up something for you and show it to you later," she said opening a new page. He smiled at her.  
"What was up with the sugar rush earlier?" Leo asked. Mari gave a small smile.  
"Candy," Mari told him. Leo laughed.  
"Okay, then," he said. There was an awkward silence.  
"I should go make sure I have what I need. Besides the dress, I mean," Mari said fiddling with her necklace. Leo nodded and stood up. He put out his hand and Mari flinched. Then, she realized it was to help her up and reluctantly took it. He helped her up, not noticing her flinch. they went down the rungs and onto the main deck. Mari gasped and moved to the railing. Leo followed unsure of what she was thinking.  
"Wow. How do people not us?" she asked looking down. They were high above a small city. She had no idea how people didn't notice a huge flying ship.  
"It's covered by The Mist. People looking up see a huge cloud moving across the sky probably. We're good," he told her.  
"That's crazy," Mari said shaking her head. Leo shrugged.  
"I think you'll find most things in the world are crazy," he said and walked below deck.  
"Including me," Mari said when she was sure there was no one.

**Yes this is my shortest chapter yet but it will get better. Please review and follow! Until the next.  
**

**~Nat x**


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